updated 07:54 pm EDT, Sun September 8, 2013

Offers over 100,000 ebooks to read for under $10 per month

A service seeking to become the equivalent of Netflix for ebooks has launched, and has begun sending invitations out for its service. Oyster, currently available on iPhone and iPod Touch with an iPad app due in the future, will provide US-based users with unlimited access to a library of over 100,000 books at a cost of $9.95 per month.

The app, which provides Netflix-inspired categorical browsing as well as genre and title search, allows for the user to customize the font size as well as the style of font used, much like a number of other ebook apps. While it has a significant number of books, GigaOmnotes that the company has only made an agreement with HarperCollins, though it is in negotiations to add more titles from other publishers. The roster covers a wide selection of historical titles and well-known books, and adds to the 100,000 figure by adding public-domain works on top.

An all-you-can-eat ebook service could certainly find a potential audience of avid readers, though other services, such as the well-established Amazon Kindle Owners' Lending Library and the Waterstones-backed Read Petite due later this year, could make it tricky for Oyster to succeed.